Education

Intro to Neon Art

Learn all the skills necessary to design and assemble your own neon sculpture or sign! Under the step-by-step guidance of an experienced teacher and artist, you can complete a project during this 8-week introductory class. For ages 16 and up. Materials not included and can range from $100 and higher. (Bending is not taught in this course). Instructor: David Otis Johnson learned the art of neon in 2002 in Hollywood, FL. He received his MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2004 and has used neon in his artwork since. David has also worked as a fabricator and installer in numerous sign shops and now has a sign business of his own, Leaf Cutter Studio, based in Pasadena, CA. He has exhibited several times at MONA and several other galleries and currently works for MONA as an Exhibition Installer.March 14 – May 2, 2019 (8 Thursdays) 7pm – 10pm$550 MONA Members (Argon level and higher) $600 all others*materials not included

MONA Member Discount: Enter MONAMEMBER at checkout for $50 off your class! (Only one discount per Argon member per class. Helium and higher levels maximum of 2 discounts per class)Enrollment deadline is 48 hours before the start of the class. In the event you want to be put on a waiting list for a class or you’re trying to sign up past the 48-hour deadline, please call us at 818.696.2149 or email us at [email protected]Cancellation requests must be received 2 weeks before the start date of the class. We reserve the right to cancel the class due to insufficient enrollment, in which case your tuition will be fully refunded.

Bend, Blow & Glow I

Beginning Hands-On Neon

In the BB&G1 class, students will learn the basic introductory skills of neon bending, including cutting, welding and bending glass tubing to make block letters. Time will be spent over each of the torches used for neon fabrication: the ribbon burner, the crossfire and the hand torch. Instruction on processing the neon tube will be demonstrated, but the class will focus primarily on learning the bending skills. Students will focus on bending with 10mm clear glass but will also have access to 12mm and 15mm and some phosphor-coated glass for additional experience and practice. For ages 21 and up. (We recommend taking the Intro to Neon class first, but it is not required). Each student can process up to 4 complete units, but the class is more about learning the skill and processes rather than completing finished pieces. Materials, tools and supplies are included in the price of the class, (tools will remain the property of the museum). If student goes beyond the set amount of materials, an additional $50 fee will be charged. Instructor: Lyle George learned neon from a UCLA extension class in the 1980s taught by Bill Needham. Afterwards, he apprenticed with Designer Neon, Signal Hill Neon and other sign shops until he was hired by the Larry Albright Studio. As Larry Albright’s assistant through the ‘90s, he did the neon work for films such as Hudsucker Proxy, Con Air, and Ed Wood, to name a few. Currently, he is fabricating neon work for some well-known contemporary international artists.Next class date: April 13 – June 8, 2019 (8 consecutive Saturdays)9am-12pm + 1pm-4pm (6-hour class with 1-hour lunch break) $1,600 MONA Members (Argon level and higher)$1,650 all others

MONA Member Discount: Enter MONAMEMBER at checkout for $50 off your class! (Only one discount per Argon member per class. Helium and higher levels maximum of 2 discounts per class)Enrollment deadline is 48 hours before the start of the class. In the event you want to be put on a waiting list for a class or you’re trying to sign up past the 48-hour deadline, please call us at 818.696.2149 or email us at [email protected]Cancellation requests must be received 2 weeks before the start date of the class. We reserve the right to cancel the class due to insufficient enrollment, in which case your tuition will be fully refunded.

One-Day Neon Art Immersive with Kacie Lees

Students will get into the flames and develop familiarity with the three key bending techniques utilized to construct any lit piece. We will make soft curves with the ribbon burner, right-angle bends on the crossfire, and create splices by joining together two pieces of tubing. This immersive day walks you through the entire process from glass to glow and each student will head home with an experimental work produced by their very own hands. For ages 21 and up. Instructor: Kacie Lees first learned neon while studying sculpture and video at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago. Lees received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 2012 and now teaches Neon Techniques all over the country (SAIC in Chicago, MoNA in LA, Brooklyn Glass in New York & Western Neon School of Art in Seattle). Light and the intangible are common themes in Kacie’s work and she uses neon to explore them both.Next class: Saturday, March 30, 2019 10am – 4pm $200 MONA Members (Argon level and higher) $250 all others

MONA Member Discount: Enter MONAMEMBER at checkout for $50 off your class! (Only one discount per Argon member per class. Helium and higher levels maximum of 2 discounts per class)Enrollment deadline is 48 hours before the start of the class. In the event you want to be put on a waiting list for a class or you’re trying to sign up past the 48-hour deadline, please call us at 818.696.2149 or email us at [email protected]Cancellation requests must be received 2 weeks before the start date of the class. We reserve the right to cancel the class due to insufficient enrollment, in which case your tuition will be fully refunded.

Meryl Pataky’s neon breast piece, “Always Sisters, Never Twins” was originally made for a Planned Parenthood benefit exhibition and instantly gained far-reaching attention on social media. This workshop offers the opportunity for students to not only learn how to make neon, but how to make neon boobs from a selection of pre-designed patterns. Meryl will donate her profits to Planned Parenthood. For ages 21 and up. Sunday, September 17, 2017 /10am–4pmInstructor: Meryl Pataky is a neon bender and mixed media artist based in the Bay Area. She fell in love with the tactile nature of sculpture and graduated with a BFA from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Meryl focuses on the relationship between her own hands and material, deriving deeper meanings in the history of the elements, from their origins in the universe to their applications in culture and myth. She is the curator of the exhibition “She Bends: Women In Neon” at MONA.

Each day begins with a 2-hour demonstration followed by 4 hours of guided hands-on work over the torches. Cost includes a limited supply of glass, electrodes and other components necessary for mounting and wiring your completed neon unit onto a presentation base. November 12th & 13th, 2016 (Saturday and Sunday) 10am–1pm, 2pm–5pm (6 hours/day)Instructor: Michael Hernandez has had an intimate relationship with neon for the past seven years, exploring technical and artistic approaches and building neon studios in Indiana and California. In 2010, he earned his master’s degree from Alfred University. Hernandez resides in San Marcos, California, where he runs his neon studio and teaches glass at Palomar College.

The evening starts with a tour of the museum’s current exhibits and a neon fabrication demonstration. Then, under step-by-step guidance, try your hand at twisting and bending the glass. A perfect prelude to a date-night or a fun night out with a friend! Light snacks and wine included.Saturday, September 24, 2016 / 5pm–7pmJoin Lisa Schulte, neon artist and owner of Nights of Neon, aka the “Neon Queen,” along with master bender William Enrique, also from Nights of Neon, aka the “Super Neon Man,” for a taste of neon!